Machine for setting fasteners in spaced relation



April 10, 1962 F. w. TROSKE 3,028,601

MACHINE FOR SETTING FASTENERS IN SPACED RELATION Filed May 1, 1959 INVENTOR Frederick W 'fi oskev BY I, 7

TTORNEY Unite This invention relates to a fastener setting machine intended for use in factories Where a plurality of snap fasteners are attached in spaced relation to the edges of an opening in a garment or the like. More particularly, the

invention relates to an improved means for locating the garment with respect to the fastener setting tools, which means is sometimes called a gauge or gauging device.

l-leretofore, gauging devices that have been applied to fastener setting machines have been limited as to the number and the distance between the fasteners that could be attached to a garment because of the fact that the gauge was controlled by a cam and linkage mechanism operated in conjunction with the fastener setting machine.

It is one of the objects of my invention to provide a gauge that can be attached to a conventional fastener setting machine in which there is no limit to the length of the garment and the number and spacing of the fasteners that may be attached thereto.

A further object is to provide a simple gauging mechanism permitting a work table to be indexed to any number of predetermined positions with respect to the fastener setting station, and which gauge is released from each of such positions by a simple detent release mechanism operated in conjunction with the fastener setting machine.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description when taken together with the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a front partial view of a fastener setting machine having a gauging device embodying my invention attached thereto and showing the position of the gauging device in starting position;

P16. 2 is a front elevational view of the central part of the gauging unit on an enlarged scale as the parts appear at the end of the fastener settingstroke;

FIG. 3 is a similar view showing the parts as they appear just prior to the release of the catch lever;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a left end view of the gauging device detached from the machine;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the catch and trip lever with its associated parts; and

PEG. 7 is a perspective view of the jaw carrier block, attached jaws and trip lever.

The gauging device is constructed so that it can be readily attached and detached as a unit to a standard type of fastener setting machine such as disclosed in the Warner et a1. Patent 1,499,270 and requiring only minor changes to the machine to accommodate the gauging device.

In the accompanying drawing only a part of the fastener setting machine is shown in which the numeral 10 represents the upper frame of the machine having a vertical head 11 in which is reciprocally mounted a setting punch 12. The punch 12 supports a fastener element carrier 13 on the end thereof into which one of the parts of a fastener member is adapted to be fed for holding the fastener part in line with the setting punch preliminary to the fastener setting operation. The fastener part is supplied to the carrier 13 from a feed track 14 and forced into said carrier from the end of the feed track 14 by a pusher slider 15.

Mounted on the base flange 18a of the frame 10 is States Patent 0 a stationary die 16. The die 16 and the setting punch 12 are in co-axial alignment, the axis of which is usually referred to as the setting station of the machine. The complemental fastener element is fed from a track 17 where it is held on top of the die by a pair of holding jaws 18 pivotally mounted at 18a on a jaw carrier member 19 slidable in suitable guideways 19a in the frame 10 and actuated by a lever 2t) (see FIG. 4). The jaw carrier 19 is held in place in guideway 19a by a cover plate 21 secured to the frame flange lila as by screws 22. The jaws 18 are normally urged inwardly by a suitable spring connected to the upper end of the jaw, such as shown at 23 in FIG. 7.

The gauging device, as pointed out above, is adapted to be attached to the fastener setting machine as a unit and consists essentially of a longitudinal horizontal support or guide rail 25 attached to the stationary cover plate 21 as by screws 26, said rail being parallel to the front of the machine and extending to opposite sides of the setting station. A pair of stationary work-support guides 27 are positioned on either side of the setting die 16 and supported in their proper elevated position by support brackets 28 attached to the guide rail 25. The guides 27 may be angularly-shaped in cross section and serve to limit the insertion of the garment into the machine.

In order to support the garment and move it longitudinally relative to the setting station and parallel to the front of the machine, a carriage 29 is provided consisting of a movable work-holding table 30 having depending bearing blocks 31 at its opposite ends. Each block 31 carries a pair of flanged rollers 32 engaging opposite edges of the guide rail 25 whereby the work-holding table is movable longitudinally across the front of the fastener setting machine. When the carriage is moved to the right, it strikes astop bloele-S-ondhe right end of the guide rail 25. .Similar movement of the carriage to the left is limited by the left bearing block '31 striking a stop block 34 on the left end of said guide rail.

in order to automatically control the movement of the carriage in accordance to the spacing and number of fasteners to be set upon the garment, a detent or control bar 35 is attached to the front of the bearing blocks 31 by screws 36. The bar 35 is provided with a series of stops 37 spaced along and projecting from the upper edge thereof. A movable catch 38 is pivoted to the guide rail 25 at 39 and is provided with a forwardly projecting cam dog 46 normally adapted to rest upon the top surfaceof the control bar 35 in line with the projecting stops 37.

After each fastener setting operation, it is necessary to release the dog 46 from the particular Stop 37 against which it may be abutted in order to move the table 3%) to the next location where the fastener element is to be set. This release of the dog 40 is accomplished by a release or trip lever 41 pivotally mounted on the end of an extension 1912 made as an integral part of the jaw carrier 19, and movable upwardly and downwardly therewith. The trip lever is formed with a projecting lug 43 and cam recess 44. The lug 43 is normally engaged under the nose end of the catch 38 when the latter is in its locked or stopengaging position as shown in FIG. 2. The catch 38 and trip lever 41 are always biased inwardly toward each other by a coil spring 45 connected therebetween. During each upper movement of the jaw carrier 15 the lug $3 on lever 41 will. raise the catch 38 to a position where the dog 40 will clear the stops 37 on control bar 35 as shown in FIG.

3 so that the carriage 29 is free to move to the left. Continued upper movement of the jaw carrier 19 will cause the trip lever 41 to bias to the right by reason of the cam recess 44 engaging a guide pin 46 projecting from the guide rail 25 and thus clearing the lug 43 from the nose end of the catch lever 38 whereupon the latter can swing back to its locking position, such as shown in FIG. 1.

In the operation of my gauging mechanism, the normal start position of the device is shown in FIG. 1 with the carriage to the right. A garment piece is first located upon the movable table 30 and on the right stationary guide 27. The fastener setting machine will then be set into operation by the usual clutch release pedal causing the punch 12 to descend and in cooperation with the setting die, set the first fastener upon the garment. During the setting operation, the jaw carrier 19 will move downwardly carrying the release lever 41 with it to the position where the lug 43 of lever 41 will engage under the nose end of catch 33 as shown in FIG. 2. At the end of the setting stroke, the setting punch 12 is retracted and the jaw carrier 19 is elevated carrying the trip lever 41 with it and causing the catch 38 to rotate around its pivot 39 and clear the dog 40 from the particular stop 37 on the control bar 35 against which it was abutted, thus permitting the carriage 19 to be moved to the left manually by the operator.

The construction of the catch 38 and trip lever 41 and the timing of the machine are such that as soon as the first detent or stop 37 clears the dog 40, the catch 38 will swing back to its stop-engaging position where the next stop 37 will abut the dog 40, locate the table 30 and support the garment in the right position for setting the second of a series of fasteners thereon. Thus the above operation is continuous until the left bearing block 31 of the carriage strikes the left stop block 34 after which the fastener setting machine is stopped and the garment removed therefrom.

Before another garment is inserted, the carriage 29 must be moved manually to the right. It is to be noted that the dog 49 and the control bar stops 37 are formed with complemental cam surfaces that permit the dog to ride over the top of the stops as the carriage is moved to the right to starting position.

As a result of my invention, it will now be evident that a gauging dcvice-ea r be rnanufacturedcheaply and attached to a standard fastener attaching machine in the field. In making the attachment to the machine, it is only necessary to remove the cover plate for the movable jaw carrier and replace it with a plate adapted to carry the gauging device. It will also be clear that simply by providing guide bars and detent bars of different lengths, a Wide range of garments can be provided for.

I claim:

1. In combination with a fastener setting machine for setting a plurality of fastener elements in spaced relation on a garment, said machine having a reciprocating punch, a stationary die, a pair of fastener-element gripping jaws associated with said die, a jaw-carrier member, and

means for moving said jaw-carrier member to open and close said jaws; of a single guide rail mounted on said machine parallel to the front thereof and in front of said die, a Work-holding table movable along said rail, means carried by the table providing a series of stops spaced in accordance with the desired spacing of fasteners on the garment in a line parallel to the line of movement of the table, a movable catch mounted on said rail and adapted to co-operate with each of said stops in turn to stop the table at predetermined positions relative to the punch and die, and catch-release means carried by said jaw-carrier member, said catch-release means having direct contact with said catch for automatically moving said catch out of engagement with a stop during each operation of the jaw-carrier member toward jaw-closing position and after the fastener-setting operation.

2. In combination with a fastener setting machine for setting a plurality of fastener elements in spaced relation on a garment, said machine having a reciprocating punch, a stationary die, a pair of fastener-element gripping jaws associated with said die, a jaw-carrier member, and means for moving said jaw-carrier member to open and close said jaws; of a single guide rail mounted on said machine parallel to the front thereof and in front of said die, a movable work-holding table, a bar attached to the table, said bar extending parallel to the line of movement of said table and having a series of stops spaced in accordance with the desired spacing of said fasteners on the garment, a movable catch pivotally mounted on said guide rail and adapted to co-operate with each of said stops in turn to stop the table at predetermined positions relative to the punch and die, and catch releasing means carried by said jaw-carrier member, said catch-release means having direct contact with said catch for automatically moving said catch out of engagement with a stop during each operation of the jaw-carrier member toward jawclosing position and after the fastener-setting operation.

3. In a machine as defined in claim 2 wherein means is provided including a spring for returning said catch into position to he engaged by a stop after its release from a preceding stop.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 222,568 Bray Dec. 16, 1879 1,392,494 Greene Oct. 4, 1921 1,499,270 Warner et a1 June 24, 1924 1,949,108 Paxton Feb. 27, 1934 2,371,062 Minkow Mar. 6, 1945 2,869,126 Johnson Ian. 20, 1959 

